The present invention relates generally to the art of sputtering silicon-containing target materials in a reactive atmosphere, and more particularly to reactive sputtering of silicon targets further comprising a transition metal.
German Patent Application DE 3,906,453 Al to Szczybowski et al. discloses sputtering silicides, such as nickel silicide (NiSi.sub.2), in an oxidizing atmosphere to deposit dielectric oxide films.
The present invention involves silicon-nickel alloys ranging from 3 to 18 weight percent nickel. Targets of silicon-nickel alloys are sputtered in an atmosphere comprising nitrogen, oxygen, inert gases and mixtures thereof to produce silicon-nickel containing coatings including oxides, nitrides and oxynitrides. The silicon-nickel compositions of the present invention comprise sufficient nickel to provide target stability and a desirable sputtering rate while keeping the absorption of the resulting films relatively low.